Little angels (OUAH)
by J-Farraday
Summary: (A prequel to my "Once Upon A Handplate" story, featuring HP!Gaster.) It's been years that Gaster has de-coded his world into ours, and that nobody remembers his sins. He has everything, yet feels empty inside. After his friend's suggestion, Gaster ends up adopting twins. But there's an issue: they can't stop crying! What's bothering his children? What is he doing wrong?


**This one-shot is related to my main AU fanfiction of "Handplates" that you can find on my profile. The fanfic was - during arc 1 - based on the tv show "Once Upon A Time". And this one-shot is actually strongly based on episode 9 of season 3. It was one of the best episodes and it fits my version of HP!Gaster so well! (His inner problem here is a bit different from Regina's, though.) So if you're unfamiliar with my fanfic, this one-shot shall more than likely confuse you. But I guess you can still try to enjoy it regardless... **  
**It takes place during the De-Code, that is while everyone is human in the real world, bearing fake names, without any memories of their past or true identities. Gaster is the only one who remembers, since he's the one who de-coded the UT world into ours. More specifically, this short story takes place nine years before Noelle arrived in the town. ****As a reminder, here are the alternate identities of the characters (to avoid confusion): **  
**Alicia - Alphys**  
**Paxton - Papyrus**  
**Sancho - Sans**  
**Taylor - Toriel**  
**Francesca - Frisk**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. "Undertale" and its characters belong to Toby Fox. "Handplates" and its version of Gaster belongs to Zarla. I just own Sam and Piper. **

* * *

Dr Gaster and his colleague Alicia were working in the lab of the hospital in silence. Gaster liked when it were just the two of them, this made him feel less tense. It reminded him of the times before he sinned, back when he and Alphys were still friends. It's been eleven years now that he destroyed the world where he and everyone else of Undertown actually belonged. Well, "destroyed" wasn't an exactly correct term. He transformed their world into data and transferred it to this different world. But since there was __no way__ his work could be undone now, their world was as good as destroyed. Eleven years that Gaster lived a normal life now… and yet…  
"A-are you a-alright, Dr G-Gaster…?" - Alicia suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.  
"Uh…?"  
"You... you have a s-strange look on y-your f-face..." - Alicia said nervously - "You seemed l-like your m-mind went elsewhere and… as though something was b-bothering you..?"  
"Nothing's bothering me, Alph-... __Alicia__." - Gaster caught himself on time - "I was just pensive, that's all."  
"Hmm… It doesn't look like you're o-okay… Y-you haven't really been yourself lately, Dr Gaster a-and I... uh, I'm c-concerned about you." - Alicia spoke her mind, fidgetting in nervousness.  
Gaster looked at his friend. He knew what she was talking about, he did realize that he wasn't really being himself those last past weeks. He did hope that nobody would notice, though. But Alicia obviously did, and so he would need to answer her somehow. She wouldn't just let go, like his experience showed him, so lying or trying to avoid the question was pointless. Gaster considered to share his "problem" with her. What did he have to lose anyway? Gaster let out a sigh and said:  
"You're right… Something is bothering me… But I just can't put my finger on what it is exactly."  
"Oh? H-how so..?" - Alicia asked with a curious expression.  
"It's just that… I have everything. My life is made just like I wanted it to be. And yet… for some odd reason, I don't enjoy it." - Gaster's tone was getting slightly frustrating - "Or more correctly, it seems like I _can't_ enjoy it..! But it doesn't make any sense. How can I not enjoy my life when I have everything to make me content..? I just feel very… __empty__ inside."  
A silence followed for a moment. Gaster looked frustrated and Alicia got pensive. But it didn't take her long to guess what could be happening to her friend and colleague.  
"Hmm… M-maybe that's b-because you don't have everything..?" - she suggested - "I mean, uh… that's t-true that you have a wonderful job, a big house, a-and you're a p-person we look up to… But… all of this is kinda pointless if… if you c-can't share what you have with somebody…"  
"So, what's your conclusion?" - Gaster asked curiously.  
"That... that maybe in a way, you're… you're lonely." - Alicia answered with an embarrassed blush - "I m-mean that… that you live alone. That maybe you n-need a f-family."  
Another silence followed. Gaster got actually pensive about this. Maybe Alicia was right? Maybe he needed somebody who'd love him __truly__?  
"Your… suggestion does make sense." - Gaster spoke after a moment - "However… You know I'm not a man for romance and dating… I guess I must be aromantic? So I'm afraid my life's bound to stay lonely for a while."  
"B-but I didn't m-mean a r-romantic interest specifically…! It can be…" - Alicia then paused.  
Gaster raised an eyebrow, expecting Alicia to finish her idea. Sweating in nervousness, Alicia finally finished:  
"...a child."  
Gaster's eyes widened when he heard this. Was Alicia suggesting him to have a child of his own? That was a crazy idea… He could never be a father! Gaster knew it.  
"Look, thank you for your understanding and suggestion, Alicia." - Gaster said - "But... No. I don't think I'm made for parenthood either. I prefer to live alone, rather than ruining a child's life with my incompetence."  
__"Ruining a child's life… again." __  
"N-nonsense! You're… you're Dr Will Dean Gaster, you can overcome any difficulty!" - Alicia replied - "I think n-nobody's born ready for that, you just learn it on the way you go..! You should give it a try!"  
Gaster sighed. He wasn't sure what answer to this. On one hand, he knew that adopting a child was a risky move. But on the other hand… some part of him was tempted by the idea. So very tempted. Maybe a child would be his solution, his second chance. He looked at his friend and said:  
"...You're right. I suppose it's worth a try."  
"It definitely is! Oh, I shall start my research to find you an adoption agency asap!" - Alicia exclaimed with an excited tone - "True, there will be a waiting line, b-but with a profile like y-yours, I'm sure you won't have to wait too long!"  
Gaster was already regretting his decision to go with this suggestion. Alicia was getting way too excited about this. __"This is a foolish idea…"__ \- Gaster thought - "__It will never work out, I'm a scientist, not a father! It's too late to backup now, isn't it..? Well… I will contanct the agency and submit a demand and… then I'll see." __

**_**Two years later... **_**

Gaster couldn't believe this. He got a call from the agency a week ago, telling him that there was an available baby that he could adopt. Well, there were two of them actually, a boy and a girl. Thus, Gaster was allowed to make a choice based on his preferance. Now, Gaster was walking long a corridor, following the agent in charge of his case. __"I'm about to make the biggest mistake…"__ \- the doctor was thinking. Why didn't he simply retrieve his demand, saying that he wasn't ready? Because he didn't feel like he was.  
"How much is my privacy respected in the scope of this adoption?" - he asked to the adoption agent.  
"Do not worry about that, Dr Gaster." - the woman replied - "The twins' mother submitted them to a secret adoption. Thus, she'll have absolutely no access to your personal information. So you can relax, she won't be able to track you and take back the child."  
__"I guess I have no excuse to backup…"__ \- Gaster thought.  
"It works both ways." - the agent pursued - "You can get no information or contact with her either."  
"I suppose that her identity doesn't matter anyway." - Gaster replied.  
They finally arrived to a room where the two babies were sleeping soundly. As the two adults approached the cradle, the twins didn't even flinch, not acknowledging anybody's presence. Gaster stared at the pair for a long moment. They resembled each other a lot. The boy's cheeks were slightly chubbier than the girl's though. Being a few weeks old, they already had a bit of hair on their small round heads. The boy had dark hair, while the girl's hair was blonde. The babies seemed to be very attached to each other, despite their very young age. In their sleep, they had their faces turned to each other and their tiny hands touching. They both were so…  
__"...cute."__ \- Gaster thought despite himself.  
His doubts and thinking about retrieving his candidacy were forgotten by this point. Gaster then felt a small gentle flutter in his chest. What was this? It was probably the first time he was feeling something so tender. The first time he was feeling __anything__ at all in a long while. And what he was feeling was pleasant.  
"They're adorable, aren't they?" - the agent asked with a smile.  
"Y-yes, uh they are…" - Gaster replied, getting a bit flustered.  
"Did you make your choice?"  
"My choice? I..."  
Gaster looked down at the two babies again. Seeing how they seemed to seek each other's presence… Gaster could feel there was some invisible bond that would be too cruel to break. He was pretty sure he was the only one who could see it, because it's something he has seen before. The two babies reminded him of…  
"Is it possible to… adopt them both?" - Gaster asked.  
"Are you… sure about that?" - the agent asked seriously - "I hope you realize that taking care of twins is a difficult task. Taking care of just one baby already isn't easy, so taking care of two babies is quite a challenge."  
"I do understand that, and I'm not a man to fear difficulties." - Gaster replied as seriously - "Wouldn't it be in the children's best interest to stay together?"  
"It is. And I suppose that considering your faultless profile, you're a perfect candidate for siblings' adoption." - the agent said with an approving expression, then she opened her folder and pursued - "You are a lucky man, Dr Gaster. Because normally, the siblings adoption procedure is a little more difficult. However, the mother has requested to do our best so the children can be adopted together."  
"Well, those are good news." - Gaster said with a light smile.  
"Alright then. Let's go to my office, where you can sign all the documents."  
Gaster did as asked, not without giving one last glance to the children. In the office, after the papers were signed, there was still one administrative matter to take care of.  
"What shall you name your children?" - the adoption agent asked.  
Gaster thought for a moment. It didn't take long before his mind found the fitting names. He knew exactly what names would be the most appropriate to those twins.  
"I'm naming them Sam and Piper." - Gaster answered.  
The agent smiled as she wrote their names down on the adoption papers. __"Sam and Piper… My children…"__ \- Gaster thought to himself, as he felt the strange fluttering again.

Even though Gaster was glad about the outcome, it wasn't all rainbows. Like the agent warned him, taking care of twins was a difficult task, that took a lot of his time and energy. The evening he brought them to his house went well, but from the next day, they started to cry. A lot. Whatever Gaster was doing didn't seem to reduce their crying. Even after being fed or their diapers being changed, their cries would remain almost stagnant. The crying rate was about the same for almost a week. Gaster barely slept at nights. Well, he was used to get woken up by nightmares anyway, but now his lack of sleep was accompanied by a headache. In the morning of the fifth day, Gaster took the twins to the hospital to do a checkup. To his frustration, there was nothing. __"So, they're just crying for… the sake of crying. Is their plan to drive me mad..?"__ \- Gaster wondered in despair. After that, Gaster felt like he needed some coffee, so he headed to Griffin's cafe, where he ordered a cup of black coffee. He saw that both Sancho and his brother Paxton were sitting at the counter. Sancho was eating a big hamburger with fries, while the policeman Paxton was drinking a milkshake. When Gaster sat down at a table, Paxton noticed the two babies.  
"Oh my God!" - he exclaimed, then he walked up to the little family - "Are those your children?"  
"Why, of course. You don't think I kidnapped them, do you?" - Gaster asked with sarcasm.  
"I didn't think such a thing at all!" - Paxton reassured him with a smile - "They're just so adorable! What are their names?"  
"The boy's Sam and the girl's Piper." - Gaster answered.  
"Wowie! Sancho, did you hear this?" - Paxton addressed his brother - "Dr Gaster's babies' names have the same initials as ours!"  
"Heh, I guess it's cool. Who thought such coincidences were possible." - Sancho replied in between his fries.  
"But... but why are those adorable babies crying so much?" - Paxton asked with concern.  
"I don't know why they're crying. I just did a medical checkup and there's absolutely nothing wrong with them."  
"Hmm... that's quite puzzling indeed." - Paxton frowned.  
"I heard babies can sense a person's nature." - Sancho commented giving Gaster a nasty grin.  
"Eat your burger and mind your own business." - Gaster said with a glare.  
"I was just saying."  
Gaster let out a sigh. Could Sancho actually be right..? If the twins didn't have any problem, then maybe __he__ had one? Gaster then chased the thought away - he wouldn't let Sancho make him feel doubtful. __"I won't give him the satisfaction to see me fail in parenthood. I am a good father, I can handle this."__ Paxton pulled him out of his thoughts as he suggested:  
"Maybe you could tell or read them a story?"  
"What's the point in doing that? How's that supposed to calm them down, if they don't understand a word I say?"  
"They don't, but they'll get used to your voice." - Paxton explained, then smiled - "Just try it!"  
Paxton then sat back down next to his brother. Sancho gave him a curious look and asked:  
"How do you know it helps?"  
"I... I don't know. I just know it somehow, but I don't know how." - Paxton replied with a light frown - "Anyway, it's the end of my break. I must return to the police station. See you later, Sancho!"  
Paxton soon stormed out of the building. Gaster was looking at his crying babies while drinking his coffee, then thought that if there was one person that could help in calming them down, it was Taylor.

Later, Gaster arrived at the Underwoods' house. Unfortunately, neither Taylor or Anderson were at home. There was only their daughter, Francesca. She told him that Taylor would be back home in around fifteen minutes. Gaster looked at the clock and almost facepalmed. Of course, it was a school day and it wasn't yet over for her! How could he have forgotten that? At least, the twins were asleep in their pram for the moment. Which meant no crying for an hour or two.  
"Um, maybe I could help you somehow..?" - Fran suggested timidely.  
"Unless you know something about parenthood, you can't." - Gaster replied a bit coldly.  
"Oh, is that why you need my mom?" - Fran asked - "You need an advice about the twins?"  
"Yes, Sam and Piper won't stop crying. They cry almost all the time, when they don't sleep..!" - Gaster replied with a frustrated and tired tone - "I thought that Taylor surely knows how to deal with this."  
"Mom told me that everytime she sang me a lullaby, I'd immediately stop crying." - Francesca said - "So, maybe you could sing for them?"  
"Really? Look at me for a moment and just tell me - do I have the face of a guy who sings?" - Gaster asked, letting out an irritated sigh.  
"Uhh… Well, they say to not judge a book by its cover..." - Francesca replied awkwardly.  
At that moment, Gaster's cellphone rang. It was Alicia, which meant it was related to some hospital business. __"Really, Alicia..?"__ \- Gaster thought - __"I thought I asked you to not bother me during my parental leave..!"__ Of course, the phone ring woke up the twins, who resumed their crying. Gaster got a look of pure despair on his face and Fran looked at him with sympathy, feeling sorry for him. Before answering the phone, Gaster instructed Fran:  
"Make yourself useful and mind the twins while I'm on the phone."  
Fran didn't like his unnecessarily unpleasant remark, but didn't protest. Gaster went to another room to talk on the phone, while Fran knelt down to the children and started to talk to them with a sweet and soft tone.  
"Hello adorable little ones. Why are you crying so much? There's no need for that, I'm a nice girl. I will never hurt two little angels like you. You're Sam and Piper, right? My name's Francesca, but just 'Fran' works too. Your daddy's friend with my own mom and dad, so we'll probably often see each other."  
And so Fran kept talking to them with a smile for a little while. And surprisingly… their cries quietened down until they were gone. The twins just stared with their big blue eyes at the young woman in front of them. Fran couldn't help but keep smiling at them and her eyes shining in happiness. For some reason, being near babies made her feel happy.  
"How did you do that..?"  
Francesca looked up and saw that Gaster was done talking on the phone. He had a suprised expression on his face.  
"I... I don't know. I was just talking to them and they stopped crying." - Fran answered - "But really Dr Gaster, your babies are so lovely! Please bring them here more often! I'd be only happy to look after them when needed!"  
Gaster's face paled a bit, knowing where this came from. Francesca obviously felt a bond with the babies due to the loss of her own child back in their world. Sam and Piper in a way filled the void created after that. Even though Francesca couldn't remember, it was there on a subconscious level. And so her warm, kind and __motherly__ attitude affected the twins, making them feel safe. __"Why can she make them feel that way and I can't..?"__ \- Gaster asked himself - __"What is that she has that I don't have? Maybe my suspicions are correct. Maybe I just don't have that paternal fiber in me…"__  
"So I really am the true problem, then..." - he murmured.  
"What are you talking about?" - Fran asked with a curious look.  
"It's... It's nothing, Francesca." - Gaster shook his head with a distant and somewhat broken expression - "Well, the kids and I shall go back home now."  
"What? You're not waiting for my mother?"  
"No. I figured out the problem... and your mother sadly can't do anything to help me."  
Gaster then walked with the pram in the direction of the front door. He opened the door before carefully pushing the pram outside.  
"Wait..! What shall you do about the children then?" - Francesca called out before he'd leave.  
"...I don't know." - Gaster answered honestly, before going away, under the woman's concerned gaze.

Gaster was trying to rock the kids to sleep, without much success. They were still crying as much as before. At some point, after lying the babies down on his large bed, Gaster just put his head between his hands and asked:  
"What am I doing wrong...? What can others do that I can't...?"  
He then looked back at his children, who were looking at him through their tears. And so, he did what he normally wouldn't do. He addressed them directly, even though his rational self knew they couldn't respond or understand.  
"I really don't know..! I... I'm trying, my children, I really am..! But I'm just so lost, I don't know what I'm supposed to do… I know I'm not perfect, but I want to try… I want to try for you, I want you two to be happy… Just please, tell me what I have to do and I will..! Please give me a clue…"  
Something incredible happened. The children stopped crying. For real. They were looking up at their father and listening to his voice. And when Gaster noticed, his eyes widened in surprise and progressively a smile appeared on his face. He reached to them and started to gently stroke the soft baby cheeks.  
"I know I maybe don't deserve to be your father... but please give me a chance… and I'll try my best." - he spoke softly.  
The babies were now completely calm, looking at their dad with curious and innocent eyes. The sight of their cute faces and beautiful big eyes made Gaster's heart swell and spread a pleasant warmth through his body. __"So dialogue was the solution..?"__ \- Gaster realized - __"They just needed me talk to them… and to know that I care."__ Gaster then remembered what Paxton said about making them getting used to his voice. He couldn't believe he was about to follow his advice. So, Gaster gently placed the babies in their cradle and started to tell a story.  
"Once upon a time, a long time ago, lived a skeleton. One day, very nasty and cruel creatures attacked his home and destroyed it. The skeleton was left all alone in the huge world. And so, full of anger against the cruel creatures, he tried to brave the world on his own and move on from the scary things that happened to him. Quickly enough, the skeleton got lost in a dark wood. It was a place full of darkness, sadness and terror. But the place was cursed. The darkness planted itself in his soul and progressively sprouted, eating him up from the inside a little more every day. The skeleton slowly forgot the good feelings. All he could feel was cold darkness. Nobody could do anything against it, and the skeleton certainly couldn't cure himself." - Gaster said with a distant look, until his face lit up - "But one day, he came across two little angels. They were emitting a warm light, the only light in the woods of darkness. Seeing the skeleton and realizing that he almost reached the fatal stage of his transformation into an emotionless shadow of himself, they touched his soul - his heart - with their warm hands. By doing this, they chased the darkness away, curing the skeleton. As he looked at the two little angels, the skeleton felt love for the first time in a very long while. The two angels led him out of the dark wood, straight to a beautiful field bathed in a bright light. The little angels promised him that he'd never be alone from that day on. And the skeleton never was. The three lived happily ever after, the field becoming their home."  
When Gaster finished his made-up story, he smiled as he saw the babies sound asleep. He then leaned to them and placed a small kiss on each little forehead. He then whispered:  
"Good night... my little angels."

* * *

**A/N: _"...considering your faultless profile…" _If only you knew, lady.**

**Oh, and about Sancho's remark... He doesn't remember anything at this point yet. But even during the De-Code, he doesn't like Gaster, haha.**

**It was a one-shot that I wrote to display how Gaster came to his decision to adopt the twins, since the main story doesn't tell it. What I love about the relationship between Gaster and his adoptive children is that it's a beautiful irony. Humans once took away pretty much everything from him, but in the end two human kids were those who awoke the best feelings in him, they saved his Soul so to speak. If you're wondering why he'd decide to adopt humans, well the circumstances were set in a way that Gaster no longer had any options, nor was it something he cared about anymore. It may seem OOC, but… his psyche was pretty complex at this point of life. But it was a decision that was really worth it! With this one-shot, I also could show more of Gaster's happy and vulnerable side. He's a naturally brooding man, but Sam and Piper are what really makes him happy. Much happier than he's ever been for a _very long_ time.**


End file.
